Splice-bar lock.



E. S. SHIPMAN. SPLICE BAR LOOK. APPLIOATION FILED DBO.10 190s.

Patented June 7, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

E. S. SHIPMAN.

SPLICE BAR LOCK. APPLIOATION FILED DEC. 10, 1909.

961,031 Patented June 7,1910.

2 8HEET8-SHEET 2.

"ALT

r one.

SPLICE-BAR LOCK.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN S. SHIruAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Braddock, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Splice-BarLocks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in connections for the contiguousends of railway rails, and the primary object of the invention is toprovide a pair of splice bars with simple and effective means wherebythe said bars may be retained in locked position upon the rails andwhereby the use of bolts and nuts or other analogous removable devicesis entirely dispensed with.

lVith the above, and other objects in view, which will appear as thedescription progresses, the invention resides in the novel constructionand combination of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings there has been illustrated a simple andpreferred embodiment of the improvement, and in which drawings, Figure 1is a perspective view of the contiguous ends of a pair of rails havingfish plates provided with my improvement. Fig. 2 is a perspective viewof one of the fish plates. Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view upon theline 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a similar sectional view upon the line 44of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a sectional view upon the line 66 of Fig. 4 showingthe locking jaws engaging the tongues of the lock mechanism. Fig. (i isa similar view illustrating the jaws withdrawn to permit the separationof the lock sections. Fig. 7 is a detail inverted lan view of the lockmembers, parts being roken away.

In the accompanying drawings the numeral 1 designates the contiguousends of a pair of rails. These rails 1 are of the ordinary construction,comprising the usual head or ball 2, web 3 and base flanges 4. The webs3, in the present instance, are provided with a plurality of spacedopenings, the purpose of which will presently be described.

The numeral 6 designates the fish plates for the device. Each of thesefish plates 6 is provided with a horizontally straight base portion 7upon which is integrally formed the inclined overlapping flange 8 whichis adapted to engage the base flange 4 of the Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed December 10, 1909.

Patented June '7, 1910.

Serial No. 532,406.

rails. The flange 8 is integrally provided with a vertically extendingportion 9, and the said extending portion has its upper and lower edgesprovided with longitudinally extending beads 10, whereby the mainportion of the member 9 is spaced away from the web 3 of the rails so asto provide for a certain amount of resiliency when the rolling stock ispassing over the rails. The vertical members 9 are each provided withsemicylindrical integrally formed spaced studs 11, which are adapted toengage within the openings 12 provided in the web of the rails and tohave their faces contacted as illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings.Each of the fish plates 6 has its edge provided with spaced openings 13,the same being adapted for the reception of suitable spikes whereby thefish plates are secured to the ties of the rails. The fish plates 6 arealso centrally provided upon their overlying flanges 8 with spaced ribs14 and the space be tween the said ribs 14 is adapted for the re ceptionof overlying flanges 15 16 provided upon the sections of the lockingmember 17. The section 15 of the locking member 17 is centrally providedwith a projection 18, the said projection comprising a flattened memberof a substantially arrow or V shape having shoulders 19 which areadapted to be engaged by the shoulders 20 of locking jaws 21 providedupon the opposite section of the locking member. This section,designated by the numeral 22 has its base of a substantially rectangularformation and the said base is centrally depressed to provide for thereception of the looking jaws 21. The base of the member 22 is alsoprovided with suitable pockets 23 within which are mounted the rotatableretaining dogs 24. The dogs 24 are trunnioned within suitable openingswithin the base of the member 22 and their extending portions areprovided with suitable non-circular wrench heads 25. The locking jaws 21have their extremities adjacent their pivotal point provided withsuitable eyes 25 which are adapted for the reception of links 26 and thesaid links project through suitable openings in the side of the member22, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings. The member22 is further provided with depressions or pockets 27, the said memberbeing adapted for the reception of helical springs 28 which exertpressure between the locking jaws 21 and the base of the member 22 so asto normally force the jaws toward each other.

When the'fish plates 6 have been positioned upon the rail members 1 andthe spikes driven through the openings 13, the member 22 is firstpositioned between the ribs 14 upon one side of the rails, the overlyingflange 16, of course, engaging between the ribs 14 upon this fish plateand the body portion 22 underlying the horizontal members 7 of the fishplate and the base flanges l of the rails. The tongue 18 of the oppositemember is then inserted between the locking jaws 21 until its shoulders19 are engaged by the shoulders 20 of the said locking jaws, the springs27 forcing the said jaws into engagement with the tongue. WVhen this isaccomplished the non-circular head 25 is turned by a wrench or likedevice so as to throw the retaining dogs into contact with the outeredges of the locking jaws 21, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 5 of thedrawings. By this arrangement, it will be noted that accidental movementof the members comprising the lock is effectively obviated and that, inorder to separate the sections of the lock, it is necessary to rotatethe retaining dogs 24 so as to bring the same into the positionillustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawings and in order to move the tongue 18from engagement with the locking jaws 21 the links 26 are grasped by theends by the operator and swung upon their pivots in opposite directionsand against the tension of the springs 27, when the said links arebrought to the position as illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawings.

From the above description, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, it will be noted that I have provided a simple and effectivedevicefor the purpose intended, and while I have illustrated anddescribed the preferred embodiment of the improvement, as it now appearsto me, minor details of construction, within the scope of the followingclaims may be resorted to if desired.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is 1. Incombination with a pair of rail members, fish plates for the railmembers, said fish plates being provided with overlying flange members,spaced ribs upon the flange members, a lock for the plates, said lockcomprising a pair of sections, each provided with overlying lips adaptedto engage between the ribs of the fish plates, one of said sectionsbeing formed with a V- shaped tongue having shoulders, the oppositesection being provided with locking jaws also provided with shouldersand adapted to engage with the shoulders of the first section, andresilient means for forcing the locking jaws into engagement with thetongue.

2. In combination with the meeting ends of a pair of rails, of fishplates therefor, said fish plates being provided with overlying flangemembers, said flange members having spaced ribs, a locking member, saidlocking member comprising a pair of sections, each provided withoverlying lips adapted to engage between the ribs of the fish plates,one of said sections being provided with a substantially V-shaped tonguehaving shoulders, the opposite section being provided with locking jawsalso provided with shoulders and adapted to engage the shoulders of thetongue, resilient means for forcing the locking jaws into engagementwith the tongue, and rotatable dogs adapted to contact the locking jawsto secure the same in engagement with the tongue.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWVIN S. SHIPMAN.

VVit-nesses ANDREW A. SGHILLING, EDWARD J. L. MULLEN.

